The 1918 U.S. Government War Exposition in Chicago’s Grant Park (Sept 2–15) was a massive, two-week, propaganda-driven event designed to boost public support for the war effort. It featured a, mock battleground, reconstructed trenches, military exhibits, technology demonstrations, and war trophies from France. One of 21 such events organized by America's historically unique propaganda ministry, the Committee for Public Information, that were intended to reinforce patriotism and sell war bonds. Chicago's effort, however, dwarfed almost all the similar programs held around the nation. Nearly 2 million citizens attended over the two weeks of the event. It was claimed that the exhibition turned a $305,000 profit, although it's hard to find any record of where that money ended up.
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| Aerial View of the Venue |
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| The Pagaent of the Allied Nations |
Private donors raised funds to put on the exhibition, which converted Grant Park along Chicago’s lakefront into a midway where visitors could stroll past stalls where organizations like the Commission on Training Camp Activities (CTCA), YMCA, YWCA, Salvation Army, and the new Food Administration had displays. The food presentation, for example, featured a “demonstration kitchen” that showcased methods of canning and conservation to get through wartime rationing. The Red Cross put in a strong appearance, including a marching troop of nurses. For the military exercises, trainees from nearby Camp Grant portrayed the soldiers from both sides, the "Sammies" gaining cheers and the "Huns" getting booed.
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| Sailors Guarding a Desecrated Crucifix from a Church in the American Training Sector in France to Be Returned After Hostilities |
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| Exhibition Underway (Mock Battlefield in the Center) |
Sources: Michigan Tech, 2018 Symposium; Library of Congress
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